Easter | Wines of the week

Last week, I told you about wines with a low alcohol content that also show substance and depth. This week, they are more powerful wines, but which, thanks to careful viticulture, show a lot of freshness and vitality. This results in harmonious and digestible wines, which will be particularly versatile at your table for Easter… and other occasions to come!

Treat

Delicious crémant

Geneviève Barmès and her children Sophie and Maxime are established in Wettolsheim, south-east of Colmar, in Alsace. They have been cultivating their vines there biodynamically since 1998, with the aim of producing wines as close as possible to the terroir. Their crémant is once again delicious in 2019. Made from pinot gris, pinot blanc and pinot auxerrois picked very ripe, it offers a rich and fine nose at the same time. Aromas of very ripe pear, white flowers and almond appear on the nose, with a hint of honey and smoke. A rich material unfolds in the mouth, but the wine remains very dry, very fresh and tonic. The ripe fruit mixes with a mineral impression, with this smoky note, like gunflint in the background. Try it with a quiche, smoked salmon, gougères, even a whole brunch.

Domaine Barmès Buecher Brut Nature Crémant d’Alsace 2019, $28.60 (10985851), 12.5%, organic

Aging: 4 to 8 years

Bargain

Powerful, yet digestible

The warming caused by climate change has many repercussions on vineyards. But temperature is not the only factor to consider. Some, such as the nature of the soil, the altitude and the cultivation methods, are crucial in order to counter excessive heat. I am thinking, for example, of wines from Priorat, Faugères or Douro, which can be powerful while remaining very fresh and digestible. Here is a perfect example. This Quinta da Rosa La Rosa Douro 2020 comes in a dark color and offers an aromatic, complex nose, with notes of blackberry and blueberry, black earth, with animal and mineral hints. The mouth offers a very ripe fruit, with a rich and silky texture, but carried by a great freshness and a delicate mineral impression. Moderate, very fine tannins unravel on a long finish. Perfect to accompany a leg of lamb.

Quinta da Rosa La Rosa Douro 2020, $21.90 (928473), 14% off

Aging: 4 or 5 years

Discovery

A new facet with finesse

The Albahra cuvée comes from garnacha tintorera, grown in the Alicante region. This grape variety is not Grenache, but Alicante Bouschet. Born from a cross between Grenache and Petit Bouschet in 1855, it has long been used to make wines with volume, thanks to its high yields, or to bring color to blends thanks to its red flesh (it is a dyer variety ). Here, we discover a completely different facet. The wine is indeed of a fairly strong purplish color. The nose is delicate, restrained, with notes of garrigue, red fruits and violets, reminiscent of a pinot noir or a grenache in finesse. Very dry and greedy, fresh and dapper, but with firm tannins and noble bitterness that make you want to eat. Serve slightly chilled, with braised ham, roast chicken or green vegetable pizza.

Envinate Albahra Wine from Spain 2021, $23.75 (13566732), 13%

Aging: 3 or 4 years